Austin Bar, Restaurant & Retail News

[Urbannizer]

Paperboy to open a second location on S. Lamar

https://austin.towers.net/apartments...-carwash-site/

[ATX2030]

Nightlife venue to take over old Truluck's space

NoCo Hospitality plans another hangout in downtown Austin

https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/n...Pos=0#cxrecs_s

Sahar Chmais – Staff Writer, Austin Business Journal
May 4, 2023

NoCo Hospitality LLC is turning the old Truluck's restaurant space in downtown Austin into a new nightlife venue called Estelle’s Social Lounge.

The club is expected to open later this month as the only tenant at 400 Colorado St. Truluck’s Restaurant Group Ltd. announced in April the relocation of its longtime location into the nearby 300 Colorado tower, where it has a 20-year lease. The new Truluck's could open sometime this month.

[Urbannizer]

Originally Posted by Urbannizer

115 Sandra Muraida Way

Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop’s new location. Could be a sign the current site will be redeveloped.

While grabbing coffee I spoke to one of the employees at Juan Pelota’s. He didn’t know much of what’s to come next of the building but it has new owners and believes it will be torn down. Juan Pelota’s will not be joining Mellow Johnny’s in the move, which is expected to happen in June.

[StoOgE]

So we gain a paperboy and lose a Snooze - sounds like a good exchange for S. Lamar brunch.

[Urbannizer]

Originally Posted by ATX2030

Nightlife venue to take over old Truluck's space

NoCo Hospitality plans another hangout in downtown Austin

https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/n...Pos=0#cxrecs_s

Sahar Chmais – Staff Writer, Austin Business Journal
May 4, 2023

NoCo Hospitality LLC is turning the old Truluck's restaurant space in downtown Austin into a new nightlife venue called Estelle’s Social Lounge.

The club is expected to open later this month as the only tenant at 400 Colorado St. Truluck’s Restaurant Group Ltd. announced in April the relocation of its longtime location into the nearby 300 Colorado tower, where it has a 20-year lease. The new Truluck's could open sometime this month.

[Sigaven]

Wonder if it's a gay bar?

[Urbannizer]

Originally Posted by Sigaven

Wonder if it's a gay bar?

I’d suspect EDM, NoCo Hospitality owns Higher Ground and Superstition.

[Urbannizer]

St. Elmo public market remains empty, for sale

Seven years after the announcement of the St. Elmo Public Market, the renovated warehouse was listed for sale in July 2022.

Last promised by developers to open in 2021, the market has sat empty since its completion in 2022. Marketed as including dozens of food and beverage vendors, seven restaurants announced plans to become anchor tenants in the market. All but one have officially dropped out of the project.

Austin residents have asked Community Impact what happened to the project. Residents are moving into the only completed project from the vision—St. Elmo Apartments—just feet away, which remains dark. According to several residents, the market was promised as a future amenity.

[clubtokyo]

I don’t understand. Why did this fail? COVID?

[chinchaaa]

We need one of the big groups in town (MML, new Waterloo, etc.) to come and fix this. This is a tragedy. I live nearby and have been waiting forever.

[FrankLloydLeft]

Originally Posted by clubtokyo

I don’t understand. Why did this fail? COVID?

What's amazing is that it's delivered on the more likely "real" reason for it, which was to spur on development in the area.

The Yard being as popular and growing as it definitely helps, but so much of the development around the future food hall is angled towards St. Elmo Market vs the Yard.

I'd imagine there's a clear benefit to opening it as more people move in nearby, so the problem could be either with the structure itself or prohibitively expensive rents for retail tenants they're trying to attract.

Austin somehow missed the trend of overbuilding food halls; outside of Fareground, there's not much of a market here.

Personally, I'm hoping this spurs on something more creative as a use, but not holding my breath.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by FrankLloydLeft

Austin somehow missed the trend of overbuilding food halls; outside of Fareground, there's not much of a market here.

IMO, our food trucks really soak up a lot of this type of demand.

[FrankLloydLeft]

Originally Posted by We vs us

IMO, our food trucks really soak up a lot of this type of demand.

Totally agree, and honestly prefer it that way. Not that I'd mind a food hall, but they tend to prioritize a certain clientele vs the more varied appeal trucks can have.

[urbancore]

Originally Posted by We vs us

IMO, our food trucks really soak up a lot of this type of demand.

Bingo.

[zrx299]

Never really understood the appeal of food trucks beyond a sporadic novelty.
Most are wildly overpriced compared to the food & value they provide. Hard to justify when they have significantly less overhead than an actual restaurant. And now they all want tips.

[IvanRoko]

Hey, thanks for sharing your thoughts on food trucks. I totally understand where you're coming from. It can be hard to justify the prices, considering the lower overhead costs compared to brick-and-mortar restaurants. However, I've found that some food trucks offer unique flavors and culinary experiences that you may not find elsewhere. Recently, I had the chance to try out this place called Restaurant Füssen, which my close friends suggested, and it was mind-blowing. The dishes were bursting with flavors, and the atmosphere was really fun. It's always exciting to discover new food spots, and I thought I'd mention it here. Anyways, I'm new to this forum as well, so it's great connecting with fellow food enthusiasts.

[Geckos_Rule]

Originally Posted by zrx299

Never really understood the appeal of food trucks beyond a sporadic novelty.
Most are wildly overpriced compared to the food & value they provide. Hard to justify when they have significantly less overhead than an actual restaurant. And now they all want tips.

At the same time, food trucks have less economies of scale than most all restaurants, so they are paying more for ingredients and things.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by zrx299

Never really understood the appeal of food trucks beyond a sporadic novelty.
Most are wildly overpriced compared to the food & value they provide. Hard to justify when they have significantly less overhead than an actual restaurant. And now they all want tips.

Food trucks are pretty awesome, actually, IMO. I get that they may not actually be any cheaper than brick and mortar, but they're great idea incubators. They kinda flatten the concept development pipeline, and lower the financial bar for riskier stuff. That's why in my local food truck park I have Venezuelan, Hawaiian BBQ, Indian street food, and vegan falafel, among others. Anyway, I don't do food trucks a lot (probably should do more and put my money where my mouth is) but I'm glad the concept exists and is viable.

[MichaelB]

Originally Posted by We vs us

Food trucks are pretty awesome, actually, IMO. I get that they may not actually be any cheaper than brick and mortar, but they're great idea incubators. They kinda flatten the concept development pipeline, and lower the financial bar for riskier stuff. That's why in my local food truck park I have Venezuelan, Hawaiian BBQ, Indian street food, and vegan falafel, among others. Anyway, I don't do food trucks a lot (probably should do more and put my money where my mouth is) but I'm glad the concept exists and is viable.

To Piggy back.... I know multiple folks who have figured out their business in a food truck... then moved on to Brick and Mortar. So yes, great entry point for a difficult industry!

[drummer]

I personally love that a lot of breweries rotate food trucks out pretty frequently. Good beer and different food - all in the same spot!